In a packed meeting room Tuesday evening, December 2, Chilmark selectmen heard initial results of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project report on the health of Chilmark Pond. Prepared by UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) the report is designed to determine nitrogen loading thresholds for the Chilmark Pond Embayment System, as the pond is technically known. Brian Howes and Roland Samimy of SMAST presented the report, after which selectmen approved a motion to endorse the university’s work, clearing the way for the completion of the report, and, eventually, restoration of the pond.
The research was commissioned to help inform nitrogen management decisions related to the current and future wastewater planning, wetland restoration, and oversight of shellfishing. “The Chilmark Pond estuary is particularly vulnerable to the effects of nutrient enrichment from the watershed due to its very limited tidal exchange and is beyond its ability to assimilate nitrogen without further impairment,” a summary of the report notes. “The system is showing a moderate level of nitrogen enrichment, no eelgrass habitat, regions of moderate oxygen depletion, and phytoplankton blooms. The…numbers of species and their diversity and evenness are low and indicative of a community under ecological distress.”
The presenters and selectmen agreed to set a date in mid-January for a workshop to begin the process of the Chilmark Pond restoration.
“People always want to know, what’s going to happen if we do nothing,” said Mr. Howes. “It’s a truism: load goes up, water quality goes down. Load goes down, water quality goes up.”
“We will look at the scenarios after we get all the data,” said Selectman Warren Doty. “What can we do about the nitrogen load in Chilmark Pond? Do we want to try and reduce the human element? Do we want to try more oysters? Do we want everyone to have a de-nitrification septic system? Will our new fertilizer regulations have any effect? We get all these facts together and then we decide what makes sense for the town to do.”
“This is a tool for you to begin answering those questions,” Mr. Samimy said.
In other business, selectmen held public hearings on the appeals of two people who had been deemed ineligible for the lottery on Friday, December 5, for affordable housing lots at Nab’s Corner. Winning applicants will receive one of the four one-acre resident house lots fronting on South Road. They will sign a 99-year ground lease at a cost of $25,000, designed to ensure the permanent affordability of the property.
In a September meeting, selectmen described the application process and explained the preferences given to people who have been living or working in Chilmark for a long time. Patrie Grace was the first appeal and made a case that she did indeed qualify for the five-year residence and work Chilmark preference. Ms. Grace’s appeal was denied.
The second appeal came from Julie Schmidt, who tried to convince selectmen to reconsider the housing committee’s denial because she had too much savings to qualify at her current age.
“This is not an appealable item for us, quite frankly, because this is a guideline that has been voted on by the housing committee and was approved by the selectmen,” explained Chairman Bill Rossi. “I think in the future you can go to a housing committee meeting and state your idea for raising the limits or reducing the age for eligibility if you have that much savings.”
“This is kind of a Catch-22 of home ownership in affordable housing,” declared Selectman Warren Doty. “We are actually penalizing you for being frugal and thoughtful and planning ahead, and putting that money aside for a new home.” Selectmen were sympathetic, but they denied Ms. Schmidt’s appeal.